Image processing apparatuses typified by a copying machine and printer are generally used by connecting them to a network, and their functions become more and more complicated these days. For example, a recent image processing apparatus is equipped with, e.g., a function of directly attaching image data read using a scanner function to e-mail and transmitting the e-mail. With the progress to multiple functions, “set information” (information for properly operating an image processing apparatus) which is set in the image processing apparatus is also diversified.
The number of image processing apparatuses which are used by connecting them to a network tends to increase as the number of users increases. Many image processing apparatuses are generally connected to one network and used.
While diversification of set information and the increase in the number of connected image processing apparatuses proceed, only a few administrators perform “maintenance” such as rewrite of set information to the image processing apparatus. Various kinds of set information of many image processing apparatuses connected to a network are maintained by only a few administrators for time-consuming jobs with much hard labor.
Maintenance such as rewrite of set information is generally done via a setting window. FIG. 11 shows an example of the setting window used to perform maintenance. In general, the administrator inputs pieces of set information for set items shown in FIG. 11 one by one via the operation panel of each image processing apparatus. Alternatively, the administrator inputs pieces of set information for items one by one to each image processing apparatus by using a Web browser from a personal computer (to be referred to as a PC hereinafter) connected to the network.
However, the image processing apparatus has many set items as set information diversifies, as described above. The number of image processing apparatuses to be set increases as the number of connected apparatuses increases. The load of maintenance on the administrator becomes heavier.
In order to reduce the load of maintenance, various methods have conventionally been proposed. For example, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-088182, a Web server is installed in an image processing apparatus. The administrator uses a PC to save set information as a file in the PC, and write the saved set information file in each image processing apparatus via a Web browser. This can increase the efficiency of maintenance regardless of an increase in the number of set items.
For example, all image processing apparatuses having the e-mail function must update their destination tables in maintaining the destination table, in order to provide a common destination table as set information to the image processing apparatuses connected to a network. To reduce the work load in this case, according to Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-112794, a directory server is located on the network, and an address book in the directory server is so designed as to be referable by image processing apparatuses, giving the same addresses to all the image processing apparatus.
However, according to the above-described method of locating a directory server on a network, an expensive directory server must be purchased, and the cost rises. Management of the directory server generally requires skill, and needs a professional administrator.
To the contrary, the method of writing set information saved as a file into each image processing apparatus via a Web browser can suppress the cost and the work load of maintenance regardless of an increase in the number of set items. However, downloading must be repeated by the number of image processing apparatuses connected to a network, and the work time for maintenance becomes longer in proportion to an increase in the number of image processing apparatuses connected to a network.